Total Pageviews

Friday 20 October 2023

Floods and Foul Murder.

 the rain went on all through the night, but gave up the ghost at about 0700. It was very damp and dark though. By the time we had got ready and Helen had gone to post a letter and buy some milk it was looking much better.

We got underway and when we approached Cropredy Marina we saw this boat that appeared to be stuck in the first entrance as it wasn't moving at all. As we approached it started and was winding.

First lock of the day was Broadmoor and it was very colourful with berries. Mind you there wasn't much headroom when I came to close the paddle.

The offside moorings between Broardmoor and Varney's Locks seemed to not be contact with having a boat, but a shepherd's hut or gypsy van are also required.

A boat coming down told us there was flooding at the next lock and as you can maybe see the water was coming over the topm of the gates but also flooding over the top of the lock sides and flowing down the slope to the tow path. I seem to remember this was how the breech near Middlewich occured.  We ran some water down as well as lowering the lock to get in. Obviously when we got to the top it started over topping again. There was a boat to take our lock and then one below so I think that may well have dropped enough down. I did contact C&RT as there was no evidence of a by-wash running so either there isn't one or it is blocked! There is a notice at Elkington Lock warning about not running water down to maintain levels, so it looks like there is the opposite problem for most of the time.

At Clattercote wharf moorings there are more shepherd huts etc.

We arrived at the bottom of the Claydon Locks and swapped with a couple who had been continuously cruising for five months in a new boat. Maybe they are one of the few that do not produce a vlog these days!

By Wormleighton Reservoir are the remains of the rail bridge over the canal of the Stratford and Midland Railway Co. The company was formed by the amalgamation of four companies, The East West Juncion Railway, The Evesham and Redditch and Stratford Upon Avon Co, the Stratford Upon Avon, Towcester and Midland Junction Railway and the Northampton and Banbury Junction Canal. The company was s et up to transport Northamptonshire Iron Ore to the steel works in South Wales where their other supplies were growing scarce and of poor quality. It closed, bit by bit after 1964. On this line the 'railophone' was tested. An inductive conductor was laid along the track and two coils on the train so that speech could be transmitted back and forth. As well a signal could be transmitted to automatically apply the trains brakes. The system worked extremely well but costs seem to have prevented it being generally adopted.

With all the rain overnight there is a red hue to the water. This is all topsoil that has been washed into the canal, and will ultimately cause silting.

As we entered Fenny Compton 'tunnel' there was a deluge of water entering the canal. It is a shame they can't pump excess water like this back up to the reservoirs if needed.

Looking down the length of the 'tunnel'. At the Fenny end was a young lass who was walking along the tow path, not with the right footwear for wading through the puddles, and in flooded areas the bank was too steep and muddy to get round the flooded area. We advised her to find another way. She took our advice.

I thought that the office at Fenny Marina looked vaguely WWII vintage, but it seems that the marina was dug out in 1973. Last year it was up for sale with the 3 bed bungalow for £1.35 million.



At dusk on Monday 15th February 1886 Constable William Hine went on duty from his home at Fenny Compton. We walked over to the George and Dragon pub by the wharf, (the old name for the present Wharf pub) as they had had a cattle sale there earlier. He was never seen alive again. He was supposed to be on duty at Warwick Races the following day and the alarm was raised when he didn't show. His mud covered stick was found in a field and later his dented helmet and handkerchief were found near the site of blood soaked ground with clear signs of a scuffle. A nearby pool was dragged and drained but with no luck. The police flooded the area and the next day found the missing Constable's blood stained pocket knife was found in an hedge.
His body was finally discovered four days later in the canal and he had signs of heavy blows to his face and head and knife wounds in his neck. PC Hine was 30 years old and was married to Elizabeth Edwards in 1880 the same year that he joined the force. They had two sons Arthur and Harry in 1882/83 and another child too, when stationed in Shipton on Stour.  Inquiries discovered that somebody had heard a group of men late at night speaking in hushed voice before running off towards where the struggle took place. Another said they heard a cry of 'murder' around 10pm the night of the murder from the direction of where the helmet was found. Two poachers who had attacked him at another posting were questioned but released as they had alibis. The lead police officer was sure that he had been murdered by two or more men and they had used an hurdle to carry the body to the canal to dump him. Despite extensive inquiries and resorting to dressing as women and hanging about on street corners to try to glean information from gossip the killers were never found. The inquest gave death by willful murder caused by stabbing of the jugular. He was buried in Stratford Cemetery with a 150 Police Constables and officers in attendance. The fifth policeman only to lose their lives. His widow Elizabeth was granted a sum of £67 12s which was equivalent to a years salary. A fund was also raised to raise money for the family and by the end on April at least £124 17s 11d was raised.

We now travel to 1993 when a book was written about the case. This raised sufficient funds to actually erect a grave stone for PC William Hine who was killed whilst carrying out his duties and his body discovered in the Oxford Canal near to where the marina service wharf is today by a drag line.




No comments: